Life Lessons We Can Learn from the Elderly
Seniors have a wealth of valuable experiences, but how many of us have asked them to share their experiences with us. We should always heed the ideas suggested by the elderly, and this is not because they always know the rightest way, but because they are more experienced in making mistakes and can act as the best guide for us in leading our lives. Having a good relationship with seniors is a must to use their vast experiences.
Life Lessons We Learn from Our Elders
Our seniors have lived more years than us, so they understand what is right or wrong and can provide us with priceless wisdom. This article will delve into some of the life lessons we can learn from the elderly.
Courage to Face Difficulties
Our life cannot sustain its happy moments forever, and we are always experiencing different ups and downs. The elderly understand that life can be both for and against you, so you have to take the rough to manage the difficult moments to have a balanced life. Listening to elderly life stories will help you realize that you are not alone in experiencing the pressures of life, and the elderly have gone through the same stages in their own time.
Flexibility in Managing Life
Being independent and flexible are among the most critical issues that we are trying to achieve. When we want to travel an unfamiliar road, we always ask a person who has travelled the road before. The elderly have travelled the road of life and attained independence and flexibility to handle their responsibilities. We need to ask for their guidance on travelling down this road.
Being Humble
The seniors are the epitome of kindness and being humble. One of the essential life lessons from the elderly that is worth noting is that we should never judge other people since we do not know what they are going through. The elderly are good at empathizing with others in all kinds of situations. Kindness is another quality that the elderly use to make other people’s difficult days happy. So learn to share love from the elderly and put all your hatred aside.
Learning to Laugh
Our world is fraught with jealousy and bitterness, and people compete with each other on social media. The elderly do not see these media as realities, and they have found humour and fun in real life. Enjoying the company of the elderly will help you put aside your jealousy and bitterness to enjoy the absolute joy and laughter of life. Have you ever noticed that the seniors laugh even though they do not have teeth? They are not paying attention to superficial issues that surround us. The elderly can laugh even when they are in the midst of problems and adversities. We should learn the hearty laughter of the elderly to enjoy real life.
Decision-making
How often have you decided to do something and then thought about what other people might think about you? Worrying about other people’s thoughts has always ruined our talent and happiness. The elderly never worry about how others might decipher their decisions and have ever felt for themselves. Remember that it is never late to quit the habit of waiting for others’ approval in making your decisions. The elderly have always suggested that the less you care, you can have a happier life.
Managing Priorities:
Life is full of different events trying to gain our attention and lead us away from our goals and foremost priorities. The elderly have experienced many stages of life. If you investigate their lives, you will notice that everything is in order since they have learned to prioritize their time and energy.
Planning and Backup Plan
We all want to achieve the highest level of success in no time, so we try to take risks. The elderly are not against taking risks, but they always have a backup plan for the days that their risk-taking fails. It is one of the most important lessons we learn from our elders.
Love: The Best Lesson to Learn from the Elderly
The seniors have experienced the harshest moments of life, and they know one redemptive source that can help in all conditions: the power of love. The elderly express their love freely, and a lack of hatred helps them maintain their liveliness. So, learn how to show your love to your family members and all humanity.
Live Your Life to the Fullest
We all have the chance to live once. The elderly have been through life, and one of the significant lessons we can learn from the elderly is that we should quit whatever is unsatisfying to enjoy the chance given to us. If you ask the elderly, they would suggest you not leave any room for regrets and make the best of your opportunities.
Be a Constant Learner
The elderly unanimously believe that their wisdom results from being constant learners. They also think that our victories and failures add to our experiences. Seniors posit that adverse events should not necessarily have negative outcomes.
Be Patient
All of us are tested by the difficulties life brings to us. We should not consider them a crisis since we are becoming stronger through these events. The elderly recommend that we should never give up.
Think Positively
One of the most common issues faced during old age is depression, which is the direct consequence of being lonely. Although the elderly sometimes feel depressed and sad, they will undoubtedly tell you that depression is a passing state, and it won’t last long if you ask their advice on this issue. Feeling depressed is also a normal part of life. So, the next time you feel depressed, don’t give up all your wishes. Just remember the old saying that after rain comes the sun.
Cultivate Generosity
The elderly are very generous, and they can give you all they have. That is a trait that the elderly have attained while living in different conditions. They believe that you should always be willing to give and help others without expecting to get something in return. When other people benefit you, consider it a great gift and never have any expectations.
Know Yourself
You might have never thought about the reason why the elderly are wise. There is a good reason. The elderly have also reached a state where they know themselves very well. Knowing yourself is the best starting point to have a good living. Knowledge about yourself comes gradually. The elderly have attained their inner peace, so they are wise and relaxed in all their conditions.
Setting Goals
This is one of the most practical life lessons we can learn from the elderly. The elderly would advise you to think about your position today and where you want to be in the future. Furthermore, they suggest you spend a few moments thinking about your life and what you want to achieve today. This will help you to have better management of your daily tasks. Some elderly believe that keeping track of how they have progressed can motivate them to overcome difficulties down the road.
Don’t Think about Money
We all need money, and all our actions are for gaining more of it. However, the elderly think that pursuing your dreams is much more essential, and it will help you make more money in the long run and bring a real smile to your lips since you are doing what you love and making money out of your passion.
We have discussed the most common advice the elderly are sharing with us. There are numerous other suggestions that the elderly can provide you with a better living during your life’s prime years. The elderly are excellent sources of inspiration for us. We must take advantage of the opportunities to communicate with them and ask for their ideas about different issues to improve our success with their experiences. They have been through the road of life before us and know which way is the road to success. So take their advice and step in on the right way to achieve all your wishes.
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Thanks for the great article. I agree with you. We do have a lot to learn from seniors. My grandfather, for example, there’s nothing he could not help you with. He has the perfect garden, knows how to fix his stuff, and by stuff, I mean everything! Most importantly, he knows how to love. Besides fishing, gardening and riding a bike, he taught me how to accept people as who they are.
You are right; we must listen to our grandparents because they have more experience than us. My grandmother always tells us that being humble and kind is essential, and the bad times are not always as bad as you think, so think positive and learn the lesson from every situation.
My grandmother always used to tell me, “count every second, you run out of them pretty fast,” and I think that’s the wisest thing anyone has ever told me. Too bad we don’t realize these things when we are young enough to live according to them. We only remember them when we find ourselves wanting to go back in time and not waste one second on things that didn’t really mean that much to us.
Hi Paul. I just want you to know that your grandmother’s advice is something that I had to go through depression to understand. I used to see my life as a meaningless time period in which I had an inconsequential role. Finally, I decided to listen to my mom and talk to a therapist about my mental breakdowns and depression. It took a while for me to feel happy again, but after I did, I learned that I wasted two years of my life being in my head and not realizing how time was passing by. I lost the opportunity to get into a good college, and I gained so much weight that it led to having saggy skin after getting fit again. It’s imperative to keep track of the time and have a general plan for what we want to achieve in life. Because as your grandma said, we don’t have much time.
At first, I am thankful for this pretty website. I am 23 years old and I had a hard argument with my parents around 10 days ago. But I always felt shame because I love my parents and I don’t know why I did this! so after reading this article, I went to the home with the flowers and hugged them with all of my power! We should understand our parents.
I firmly believe that my grandparents’ perspectives and their approach to life have come in handy in my life. Both of them went through world war II and could manage all problems and difficulties. When I think they could manage those conditions, I feel I definitely can pull my problems off.
Yes, our elderly are our rock. They are the ones we turn to at the time of hardships and difficulties because we know they have been through lots of ups and downs in life and that we can use their experience and wisdom, as the article says, to keep going with hope and energy.
My granny was ill for a long time and fighting for her life due to Various organ failures. Talking about this makes me sad, but remembering her words may help others as it has helped me:
one. Each person has their own version of the truth. This one I’ve experienced and saw with my own eyes.
Two. Every relationship is based on a line that should never be crossed. Three. Everything in life comes at a cost.
I feel like the last two are something we all know and have experienced, but still, it’s hard to admit.
I loved those words! I wish I could see her and have a chat with her. RIP
This is what I’ve learned from my parents:
Beware of the one who criticizes others in front of you. They tend to do the same in your absence. Some people demonize others to prove their greatness; keep those people out of your life.
Don’t give the key of happiness to anyone other than your own self and do not depend on people to make you feel good about yourself or your work.
Karma pays everyone. Whether it’s good or bad, everything will be counted in this life itself.
My grandpa taught me that greatness doesn’t come from giving in to every single desire you might have in any given moment. Successful people can perform out of pure discipline because they are fully aware of their goal, and it gives them enough strength to keep going.
I feel success can basically be reduced to the sum of our habits; setting routines for ourselves and practicing discipline are critical factors in achieving our goals.
My mom has taught me the value of being present and reaching out to friends and family.
This resonates with me quite strongly since I am convinced that many of us are lonely for no reason. We market ourselves as being constantly busy, and at some point, our friends just stop asking to see us and assume that we have something more important going on.
I always try to open up time for people in my life and nurture my relationships. It has definitely paid off.
I understand your points, but what about us who are truly busy and dealing with ADHD? I find myself unable to reach out, and many of my relationships have suffered from my condition. I wish people made some efforts to connect and meet me sometimes. I know it might sound selfish, but I’m tired of explaining myself over and over again and being left alone at the end.
One of the best and greatest lessons I have ever learned from my granny was to be brave enough to face the hardships and bad days of life. She has always told me nothing is permanent in life, and everything changes constantly. The only permanent thing in life is just the change itself!
I have one of my own. Don’t talk about politics or religions at work. It may sound cliche, but I always have to learn the hard way. Some friendships with people I liked and respected were lost as a result.
The greatest lesson I have learned from Tity, my grandma, was to enjoy every second of my life. She used to tell me we human beings are all some travellers in this world. Sooner or later, we should leave and go for the next destination. So, nothing is that important. Try to enjoy this trip. Go out, laugh, drink, and dance.
I share the same idea, Owen. I am 65 years old, and I am so thankful for everything I have had in my life. Some day before you know it, you have graduated high school, found a job, finished university, got married, hit your 40th birthday, got retired, and have had grandkids of your own. So I think we all ought to learn to enjoy the present. Now I wish I had appreciated what every past day had offered me. Enjoy every second of your life and help others to enjoy theirs.
This is what I’ve learned from my parents:
1. Beware of the one who criticizes others in front of you. They tend to do the same in your absence. Some people demonize others to prove their greatness; keep those people out of your life.
2. Don’t give the key to your happiness to anyone other than yourself, and do not depend on people to make you feel good about yourself or your work.
3. Karma pays everyone. Whether it’s good or bad, everything will be counted in this life itself.
My grandpa taught me that greatness doesn’t come from giving in to every single desire you might have in any given moment. Successful people can perform out of pure discipline because they are fully aware of their goal, and it gives them enough strength to keep going.
I feel success can basically be reduced to the sum of our habits; setting routines for ourselves and practicing discipline are critical factors in achieving our goals.
My mom has taught me the value of being present and reaching out to friends and family.
This resonates with me quite strongly since I am convinced that many of us are lonely for no reason. We market ourselves as being constantly busy, and at some point, our friends just stop asking to see us and assume that we have something more important going on.
I always try to open up time for people in my life and nurture my relationships. It has definitely paid off.
I am a 60 year old woman, so I can answer this while being aware that a much younger person will not learn from my answer at all because one of the key things I have learned is that each person must discover their own life lessons from their own experience.
I understood many things in my life to be true, and I had already heard many of them from older folks, but they did not benefit me until a day came when I suddenly discovered their truth for myself.
I ultimately felt these facts in my inner self.